Top Facts About Cannabis Concentrates

A few pointers about hash oil & how concentrates are made.

PostedFebruary 9, 2016

Hash oil is the most potent form of cannabis available, being used most in edibles. It is created by introducing dried female cannabis flowers to a solvent, mixing them, then boiling off the solvent. What remains is an oleoresin rich in delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is the psychoactive compound that gives cannabis consumers the “high” feeling. The hash oil can be smoked using a vaporizer or incorporated into edibles.

Solvents Used for Separation

Common solvents include various organic solvents, supercritical carbon dioxide, and butane. Butane as a solvent is effective because it creates a solution that frees the trichomes from the cannabis plant and burns off easily, converting to non-harmful elements of carbon dioxide and water.

Supercritical carbon dioxide has low toxicity and environmental impact. It behaves as a gas at standard temperatures but when atmospheric pressure is manipulated, it can behave more like a liquid, allowing it to act as a solvent with the cannabis flower.

The low temperature process and stability of the carbon dioxide allows most compounds, in this case cannabis THC among others, to be extracted with little damage or denaturing. What is left is a clean, potent, non-toxic hash oil ready for enjoyment.

Hash Oil Variations

There is a great diversity of hash oil on the market today. You can choose solvent extracted hash oil or non-solvent. Non-solvent oil does not work well in vaporizer pens. Use solvent extracted oil for your vape pen. Your HyTiva Cannabarista® can make appropriate recommendations depending on your device.

Solvent extracted oils are of two main kinds: wax and shatter. Wax tends to be opaque and shatter is translucent. Shatter is typically hard, sappy, or sticky depending on strain and environmental conditions. Wax is non-transparent and has a drier consistency than shatter. Wax is also called crumble or budder.

For ease of use, glycerin is often added to hash oil for use in vape pens. The glycerin is non-toxic and makes the oil more viscous so it is easier to vape.

Hash Oil Names

Hash oil has many names:

hashish oil

butane honey oil

BHO

shatter

crumble

honey oil

dabs

budder

liquid cannabis

hemp bud oleoresin.

Did you know cannabis oils are being used in pet foods to help their ailments?